Aehm...How embarrassing...Pressure cooker???

squeaky

The cooker is american - they don't make that model any more, I think, and the next model up looks quite similar.

If you look on the parts list there's a instruction/recipe book for sale there.

Click Here

bargainqueen_2

Oh wow guys you are awesome! Once again it's the oldstylers to the rescue! My pot definitely doesn't have a weight I can take off though. There is a little black round plastic thing and I just unscrewed it from the inside and it came out, and it has rings, so that's the thing that pops up when the pressure is on. But I can't remove it from the outside. The rubberseal is looking brandnew so that's something.

Rave

This thread makes me want to get one now. I found about four in a local charity shop bin but gave them all away. Fingers crossed I find another.

I might have passed up a slow cooker too I think:rolleyes: but then again it might have been incomplete.

bargainqueen_2

Lol, Rave I am the same, am now desperately hunting for a slowcooker (No doubt when I get one I will come back here tail between my legs asking what to do wih it) and a yoghurt maker. I think this particular forum is making me want to buy a house and turn the whole thing into a kitchen. Crazy! Will report back once I have tried my mysterious new appliance Thanks a lot peops

Rave

If you just want to get to grips with how the pressure mechanism works etc., why not just put a pint of water in there and just boil that up? That way you'll get it up to pressure and see how it works without risking any actual food:).

raeble

Miss Vickie is a good site for info on pressure cookers and recipes etc -
http://missvickie.com/index.html

Once you get used to the pressure cooker you may not see the need for a slow cooker.

Ted_Hutchinson

Rave wrote:

If you just want to get to grips with how the pressure mechanism works etc., why not just put a pint of water in there and just boil that up? That way you'll get it up to pressure and see how it works without risking any actual food:).

The usual minimum amount of water to use in a pressure cooker is half a pint, though the stainless steel one I got from Lidl's uses 250 ml which is slightly less.

culpepper

If you cant get to grips with it,at least you will have a useful large saucepan.
You can make jam in them too. Mine is a prestige with the weights.
I think you might find pressure cooking recipe books in the library and I know I have seen recipe books for them in the charity shops.

maryb

i find my pressure cooker incredibly useful - and it will do everything a slow cooker will do.
When you havehad a roast chicken, boil up the carcase with some veg trimmings - onion, parsley stalks, celery etc - to make stock (20 minutes) then make soup with the stock eg leek and potato soup or minestrone (10 minutes).

Cook a whole bag of red kidney beans then freeze them in small portions to add to chile con carne - about 30 minutes

lemon curd in 15 minutes
beef stew or goulash in 15 minutes - it makes the toughest meat tender.

I like it for Christmas pudding - much quicker and the pudding stays a nice colour and flavour whereas it goes too dark for my taste if I steam it the conventional way.

Cook a gammon joint for 8 minutes per pound then finish in the oven for 25 minutes. You can make lentil soup with the ham stock and the gammon is beautifully moist.

cook the fruit for marmalade in much less time (use half the water because it softens the fruit without any evaporation)

there is a cheap paperback which i think you can still get in Smiths called Pressure Cooking properly explained - it's very useful.

One tip - don't be frightened of it. Provided you don't overfill it it won't explode. however less usual makes (ie anything other than Tefal or Prestige) can be a bit fierce when letting off pressure. I had one years ago which you were supposed to release pressure by putting under running water but as soon as you jogged the handle it would expel all the steam in a fierce jet. I just got used to jogging the handle and leaping back very fast - much to the amusement of my sister

bargainqueen_2

Holymoly you'll never believe what just happened :rotfl: I put a litre of water in the slowcooker to be on the safe side, and brought it to the boil, then closed the lid..... And this little button came moving up! And when I lowered the temperature it came back down a bit! And it was hissing and making me laugh! And then, I decided to risk it, grabbed my biggest oven glove and switched the button from closed to open.... and an almighty hiss, steam came pouring out, my smoke detector went COMPLETELY haywire, my neighbour came running in and I was glued to the wall at the other end of the kitchen......
IT WORKS! The water was boiling! I think I can learn this... and even my neighbour is intrigued. So thanks for all your kind suggestions, tonight I will brave a chicken-tomato-sweetcorn-broccoli thing in it and see how it goes. So exciting!! Thank you everyone